ZEI is focused on providing field services for retailers, and currently has service agreements with Target, Circuit City, Office Depot, Amazon.com, BJ’s Wholesale Club, and TigerDirect.com. In that role, they compete head-to-head with Geek Squad from Best Buy. With the industry consolidation, there has been a vacuum created, and ZEI is competing to fill that void.
The president of ZEI is Chris Mauzy, whose resume includes work as the Director of Installation Services at Ultimate Electronics, and as the Director of Business Development at Best Buy.
With the closing of CompUSA and Circuit City, there are opportunities for companies like ZEI. Circuit City Stores Inc. plans to sell its brand, trademarks and e-commerce business to Systemax Inc., the same company that purchased CompUSA's intellectual property when it closed in 2008. While the brick and mortar stores are closed, these companies will continue as a web-only entity, but this is in name only. The original organizations are gone.
"Zip Express also provides attractive margins for retailers by offering additional sales revenue on top of the product at checkout." ZEI Press Release (6/4/2008)
ZEI differentiates itself from their competitors with the way it markets it's product. For example, Geek Services companies typically charge by the hour. ZEI instead will charge X dollars per service (for example, $129 for a computer monitor installation). It is easier for retailers to accomodate the Zip Express model. (see Amazon reviews)
Zip Express now often supplements their own contractor group with technicians from OnForce. ServiceMagic, a division of IAC (NSDQ: IACI), is an investor in Zip Express.
Zip Express has earned the Geeks Informed Smell Test rating of Smells OK.
Mailing Address:
Zip Express
3033 Excelsior Blvd; Suite 470
Minneapolis, MN 55416
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